1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to and has among its objects the regeneration of carbon which has lost its activity through use. Further objects of the invention will be obvious from the following description wherein parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise specified.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Activated carbon enjoys many uses because of its reductive and sorbant properties. For example, activated carbon is employed in purification and separation processes such as sugar refining, wine treatments, air conditioning, purification of oils and fats, sewage treatments, purification of solvents, and the like. Generally, activated carbon is packed in a column and the material to be purified is passed therethrough; however, batch-wise use of activated carbon is still carried on in many areas.
When the activated carbon has lost its reductive and sorbant properties through use, i.e., when it has become "spent," it is replaced with fresh activated carbon. The spent carbon is then either discarded or regenerated. Discarding the spent carbon is wasteful and oftentimes harmful to the environment.
Spent carbon may be regenerated by heating at high temperatures in the absence of air and then quenching the carbon with water. This method of regeneration is expensive because it is a time-consuming and laborious task and because it consumes a large amount of energy. Furthermore, loss of activated carbon material, exceeding five percent in some instances, is encountered.